Change of heart on organ donation

MonsignorÂ Ganswein confirmed that the pope is not enrolled in any organ-donation program, â€ścontrary to some public claims,â€ť Catholic Culture notes.

As Cardinal Ratzinger he did carry an organ-donor card, confirming his registration in a donor program in his native Germany. However that document, dating from the 1970s, lost its legal force when Cardinal Ratzinger became the Roman pontiff.

The announcement that the pope is not currently enrolled as a donor, reported by the German-language edition of Vatican Radio, appears to be designed to avoid giving the impression that donor programs have a implicit papal endorsement, Catholic Culture believes.